


Goodnight Wake Up

by ablankshot



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:52:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8082019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ablankshot/pseuds/ablankshot
Summary: Opening line prompt, one shot. Post season 13, I would say I'm sorry but I'm not.





	

“Tucker.” 

He hears it, muffled and far off, like someone screaming through a pillow.

“ _Tucker_! I know it’s hard, but you have to stay awake.” 

Why? Was he asleep? He can’t remember. Can’t remember what was happening, but if he needs to stay awake it must be important. Softball? No, must be volleyball. Cheerleading maybe? He doesn’t hear anyone though. No applause, no shouting. Just some muffled talking at him trying to keep him awake. 

Tucker reaches, reaching to feel the person in front of him, make sure they’re really there. Turns out he doesn’t have to reach far, less than an arm’s length away. So why do they sound so far off? He doesn’t know, can’t tell and his thoughts are drifting again. 

They’d been doing something, hadn’t they? Something important. A mission, he’s sure of it, he was supposed to do something. Infer? No. Enter? Not it. Inter… Fuck, this person shouting at him is getting more incessant, but he needs to figure this out. Close his eyes for just a second to ditch the distraction so he can _think ___. Inter...Interference? That was it. He was running interference for someone else.

It went wrong somehow, or this wouldn’t be happening. Or did it go right? He was supposed to be the only one in direct danger, and if they’re fretting over him, then things must have worked. Now they have the time to fret and worry and shout at him to op _en your eyes! Tucker, wake up, keep your eyes open!_

Tucker snaps his eyes open again, and it’s hazy still but clearer. The shapes have more color, the angles are a little sharper. He can actually see the way Church’s brows are furrowed glaring down at him, grey eyes big and worried and…. Oh. 

Church doesn’t have grey eyes. Or bleach blond hair. Or freckles on dark skin. Not Church. The worry is the same though, angry worry that Tucker did something stupid. The words are the same as back in Blood Gulch all those years ago, and why does Wash know the words? Tucker reaches again, finds a grip on the neck of his armor and holds him there. It at least makes the shouting stop. Makes Tucker’s head stop swimming for just a moment. 

He gets a breath and holds it steady for just a second, then: “What happened?” 

Wash seems placated with that and the hands he hadn’t realized that had been holding him to focus ease into a gentler touch. Just grazing the side of his face, the edges of his cheek. There’s something else there, warm, wet under the thumb brushing against skin but Tucker can’t get that far in his thoughts yet. Trying to focus on Wash and what he’s saying is taking all his effort. 

“-ehind. Didn’t reali-” 

Man, Wash must have been really worried to watch after his ass this whole time. Yeah, he knew Wash cared despite being such a hardass all the time.

“You wer-”

How long’s he been out anyway? If he even has been. It doesn’t sound like Wash has let him rest much at all.

“-idn’t wake up-”

Oh, he should probably be paying attention shouldn’t he. It’s a dim afterthought to the way Wash keeps thumbing his cheek, like something precious and fragile but can’t be caught seen doing. It’s blood between their skin, that’s what he’s realized. But whose? He’s not sure, can’t think that hard yet. 

Wash is talking faster now, trying not to do the slide-whistle frustration he gets with the Blue Team Antics, trying to keep his voice low to just the two of them and even as out of it as Tucker is, he can tell it’s hard for Wash to keep up. 

“Hey,” Tucker cuts into whatever Wash was saying, he stopped listening a few minutes back. Not like he’d been listening anyway. “Idiot, shut up.” 

That stops Wash from protesting whatever whatever about Tucker needing to not talk and rest. Being insulted straight to his face always seems to take the soldier aback some. Tucker thought the guy would be used to it by now after this many years with them, but apparently not. Tucker takes another slow, deep breath before he pulls on Wash’s armor to hoist himself up a bit, get his face right next to Wash’s. 

“I’m fine. Here, aren’t I?” Tucker’s voice is like a whisper tickling against Wash’s cheek before he decides fuck it, he’s in bad enough shape and Wash will probably just chalk it up to him being delirious. Leans his head just a fraction of an inch to kiss his cheek. Can’t reach his mouth without it taking more effort and looking like he _means_ to and he can’t have that right now. No one just does real, genuine sincerity in this army and especially not this team unless it’s Caboose. No, he’ll go for that behind closed doors when it’s just the two of them.

“Give it a rest, David, I’ll be fine.” That’s all he manages to get out before he slumps against Wash, the guy dumbfounded like he always is when Tucker uses his name like that. He’ll be fine, he’s sure of it, because Mother Hen Agent Washington won’t let anything happen if he can help it.

Tucker’ll get the details of the mission later but for now, he’ll take leaning against his armor however uncomfortably the joins are pressing into him. Wash will ignore that Tucker did this later to save face in front of everyone else but get flustered if Tucker mentions it. Caboose will probably sniffle loudly and pretend he hates him for getting hurt and getting attention but still give him that big bear hug he doesn’t know how to not give. Church wil-- 

Right.

Church won’t. 

Tucker closes his eyes, sluggishly raises a hand to the back of his neck because Church won’t be doing anything anymore. Not for anyone, certainly not for him. That’s what he has Wash for now. To scream and yell at him when they all fuck up and try to fix things when they don’t do it themselves. And Wash has them to remind him he isn’t so alone anymore. Some things with Blue Team never change, no matter who the leader is.

**Author's Note:**

> Getting back in the writing groove with starter line one-shots, hope you guys don't mind these short ones. Thank you, Steph, Iz, and Salt for cheering on.


End file.
